I have recently been craving
lamb chops. This is not normal for me. Most of my life I couldn't have cared
less for lamb chops. But this, I realise, is because most of my life I have
been exposed to appallingly cooked chops.
In my
past most chops have either not been seasoned at all or been overly seasoned in
some one size fits all braai marinade which over powers the subtle flavours of
the lamb. The chops are then either cremated, the fat burned and the meat tough
and tasteless. Or even worse, they are slowly cooked until grey with soft white
gelatinous fat. Shudder.
But
then from time to time you come across a chop, delicately marinaded, grilled
until the fat starts to caramelise and the meat it browned but still pink
inside. Soft and juicy meat, crisp and creamy fat. Paired with a baked potato
and fresh zesty salad; any red blooded person would go weak at the knees.
So here
is my take on how to do the perfect chop. I encourage suggestions and
improvements as this is going to be a lifelong love affair for me.
Lamb
chops in rosemary and red wine
Serves
2
½ a cup
of good red wine
1 Tbsp of fresh rosemary
leaves, roughly chopped
1 tsp
of crushed garlic
1 tsp of
lemon zest
1 tsp
of dijon mustard
2 Tbsp
of freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tsp
of sugar
1 tsp
of salt
½ tsp
of black pepper
500g of
best quality lamb chops you can find
Add all
the marinade ingredients into a zip lock bag. Mix them around in the bag until
well combined. Add the lamb chops to the bag. Squeeze out the air and seal the
zip lock. Arrange the chops until they are lying flat and covered with
marinade. Tuck any extra length of bag underneath the chops. Allow the chops to marinade
for at least 4 hours up to 24 hours in the fridge.
When
you are ready to use the chops, make sure all the side dishes you are planning
to serve have been prepared. Preheat the oven on grill and fan and
place the rack at the top of the oven.
Pour the marinade into a sauce
pan and start to simmer it on medium high heat to reduce this to a sauce.
Place the chops into a roasting pan and once the oven is as hot as it can go
slip the chops under the grill. The length of time to grill them differs
depending on how hot your oven can go and how thick the chops are. I grill mine
for about 4 - 5 minutes until the fat is caramelised and meat has browned. Then
I flip the chops and grill them for a further 2 minutes or so, again until the
fat has just caramelised.
It is
vital to rest the meat once you take it out the oven. I like to rest my chops
uncovered as I don’t want the steam to soften the crispy bits. But if it is
very cold in the kitchen you can cover them with foil until ready to serve. I
like to rest my chops for a good 5 - 8 minutes before serving. I usually plate
up my side dishes and finish off my sauce while waiting for my meat. The sauce
should have reduced to a thickish syrup. I like to add extra sugar, salt and
sometimes a dash of cream to balance the flavours in the sauce.
Then
tuck in and enjoy immediately!
